Drawing on research in psychology and
neuroscience, Rogin and Kueng encourage readers to use visualization techniques
to clearly define what they want out of
life. They offer an array of stories about
women who achieved their own ideals of
prosperity by starting with a clear picture
in mind of what they wanted. Gratitude
and giving are also large parts of the success stories they relate.

When the word power is combined with
playbook in a book’s title, some might assume that the contents would offer tips
on succeeding in business without really
trying. Far from it, Anthony makes clear
in this commonsensical guide to living an
exception life by loving yourself first and
then tackling a career with passion, purpose, and gratitude.

Think and Grow Rich for Women:

Using Your Power to Create Success andSignificance. By Sharon Lechter. 2014.Tarcher, $25.95 (9780399170829).

Lechter, coauthor of the best-selling
Rich Dad, Poor Dad (2007), revisits Napoleon Hill’s 1937 classic Think and Grow
Rich from the perspective of modern
women. Mindful that advice on wealth
accumulation can be much the same for
men and women, Lechter argues that the
difference in women’s values calls for a
somewhat different approach. She takes
issue with the notion that women need to
seek a balance between home life and career, instead counseling women to replace
guilt with power to make choices.

I Know How She Does It: HowSuccessful Women Make the Most ofTheir Time. By Laura Vanderkam. 2015.Portfolio, $27.95 (9781591847328).

Journalist Vanderkam asked women of
a certain pay range (more than $100,000
per year) to keep time logs and compiled
the more than 1,000 submissions into
something called the Mosaic Project. In
this volume, Vanderkam summarizes and
interprets the often fascinating data, effectively synthesizing the material into
strategies for working women climbing
the ladder of success.

Clark, a veteran of more than 20 years
in the investment-banking business, offers
solid advice for women about the unwritten
rules of the business world. Increasing flexibility and mobility in the workplace, she
asserts, will help women carve out careers
that suit their skills and ambitions, but they
will still need to make informed choices.

Pimsleur, CEO of a multimillion-dollar
company, shares her inspiring story, recounting her realization that she needed
to change her mind-set, acquire new
skills, and learn how to raise capital if she
hoped to achieve her goals.

Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and PlayWhen No One Has the Time. By BrigidSchulte. 2014. Farrar/Sarah Crichton,$26 (9780374228446).

Journalist Schulte manages to take a
fairly pedestrian topic, the value of leisure in modern American society, and
turn it into a compelling narrative on
work, play, and personal achievement.
This artful blend of memoir and cultural

Under the Bus: How Working WomenAre Being Run Over. By CarolineFredrickson. 2015. New Press, $25.95(9781620970102).

Fredrickson reports that most references to women and their struggle to
combine work and family are implicitly
limited to professional women. But, in
truth, most women juggle their need
to earn money with costly child care,
noting that the law does not protect
certain groups of workers, including
domestic-service and minimum-wage
earners. Fredrickson recommends “
leaning together” and urges modernizing the
definition of employee so the law applies
to any designation—temp, independent
contractor, or part-timer.

Mom power is what entrepreneur Hurd
extols, and to that end, she shows how
moms can be self-employed in three
months. No MBA is needed; no business
plan is required. Instead, Hurd parcels out
a dozen weeks of progressively more difficult homework, starting with establishing
your first venture and moving to getting
your first sale.

Law professor Williams teams up with
her daughter to pen an insightful guide
for women who want to break through
the glass ceiling. It starts by identifying
the four behavioral patterns of working women. Culled from 127 in-depth
interviews, the four behavioral patterns
are described in detail and buttressed by
anecdotes and examples as well as action
plans that are pragmatic and frequently
laced with humor.